Resting State Electroencephalography (EEG) Reveals Atypical Oscillatory Power in Children With Development...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Developmental Psychology
• Pediatrics

Background:

• Developmental coordination disorder (DCD) is characterized by significant motor impairments in children.
• Previous studies show altered brain activity during tasks in DCD, but intrinsic neural activity remains under-explored.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate resting-state brain activity using electroencephalography (EEG) in children with DCD compared to typically developing (TD) controls.
• To identify differences in neural oscillatory power across various frequency bands during rest.

Main Methods:

• Resting-state EEG data were collected from 31 children with DCD and 52 TD children (mean age 9.5 years).
• EEG data were analyzed for power differences in delta, theta, alpha, beta, and gamma frequency bands under eyes-open and eyes-closed conditions.

Main Results:

• Children with DCD showed significantly lower alpha power and higher delta power compared to TD children.
• No significant differences were observed in theta, beta, or gamma bands.
• In the DCD group, motor functioning correlated with resting-state alpha and delta power.

Conclusions:

• Intrinsic brain activity, specifically resting-state oscillatory patterns, is altered in children with DCD.
• Reduced alpha and elevated delta power may indicate heightened neural excitability and impaired homeostatic regulation in DCD, potentially underlying motor deficits.